TAP is Portugal’s national air carrier. It flies regularly to well over 70 international and domestic destinations, while virtually all the major global airlines service the country. Even some budget airlines are offering good prices for flights to the top three state-owned airports of Lisbon, Porto, and Faro. The Madeira and Azores Islands have international airports too.
Lisbon International is the main hub. It serves 13 million passengers a year and is constantly expanding as both passenger and cargo traffic continues to rise. One of the largest airports in Southern Europe it is also home to a number of other Portuguese airlines, which regularly fly to the other smaller domestic airports.
With 5 million passengers a year each, Porto and Faro airports offer pretty much the same services on a smaller scale.
Because of the size of the country, unless you are travelling to or from one of the islands, it could be just as quick and easy to travel by rail. But at the same time, travelling internationally within the European Community by air can often feel like taking a domestic flight in a larger country. Plus, if you fly, you can take advantage of the ever popular duty free facilities.